The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 64:4,
"They [evildoers] shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear."
In Psalm 64 David speaks of people who act "without fear", and then later in the psalm he speaks of all people fearing, "All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done." Verse 9. What intervenes between the two?
David tells us one of the marks of evildoers is to "ambush" the unexpecting, the innocent, those who don't deserve it. He characterizes it this way, "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear." Verses 3-4. He goes on to say, "They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, 'Who will see it?' They plot injustice and say, 'We have devised a perfect plan!' Surely the human mind and heart are cunning." Verses 5-6.
I see this all about us today. I am sure you must as well, if you are paying attention to the things many people do. Of course politics (the vying for power in our nation and localities) comes to mind, but it certainly can be seen in the work place, various institutions, and from my experience, within churches (of all places!)
Getting back to the question of what intervenes between David's observation that the wicked do their thing without fear, and then a day when everyone is going to fear the Lord- is the judgment of God. God's judgment of mankind will eventuate into a timeless time when everyone will fear the Lord.
David observes God's judgment of the evildoers, "God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn." Verses 7-8. When God's judgment is executed on evildoers the result is, "All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!"
Although the judgment of God is terrifying and horrific, and that I myself deserve to be a target of the very same, save for the payment Jesus Christ made on that cross for my sins, yet, it brings rejoicing as David says and results in us glorying in God as we "ponder what he has done."
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
"They [evildoers] shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear."
In Psalm 64 David speaks of people who act "without fear", and then later in the psalm he speaks of all people fearing, "All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done." Verse 9. What intervenes between the two?
David tells us one of the marks of evildoers is to "ambush" the unexpecting, the innocent, those who don't deserve it. He characterizes it this way, "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear." Verses 3-4. He goes on to say, "They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, 'Who will see it?' They plot injustice and say, 'We have devised a perfect plan!' Surely the human mind and heart are cunning." Verses 5-6.
I see this all about us today. I am sure you must as well, if you are paying attention to the things many people do. Of course politics (the vying for power in our nation and localities) comes to mind, but it certainly can be seen in the work place, various institutions, and from my experience, within churches (of all places!)
Getting back to the question of what intervenes between David's observation that the wicked do their thing without fear, and then a day when everyone is going to fear the Lord- is the judgment of God. God's judgment of mankind will eventuate into a timeless time when everyone will fear the Lord.
David observes God's judgment of the evildoers, "God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn." Verses 7-8. When God's judgment is executed on evildoers the result is, "All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!"
Although the judgment of God is terrifying and horrific, and that I myself deserve to be a target of the very same, save for the payment Jesus Christ made on that cross for my sins, yet, it brings rejoicing as David says and results in us glorying in God as we "ponder what he has done."
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
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